Raghunath Temple

Important information

Location: Devaprayag, Uttarakhand 249301
Best time to visit : Feburary to November.
Nearest Railway Station : Rishikesh Railway Station at a distance of nearly 71.5 kilometres from Raghunath Temple.
Nearest Airport : Jolly Grant Airport at a distance of nearly 90.9 kilometres from Raghunath Temple.
By Road: Rishikesh - Shiva Puri -Sirasu - Byasi - Bachedikhal - Pipal Koti - Raghunath Temple. (Rishikesh to Raghunath Temple distance approx 74.2 km) Travel time aprrox 2 to 3 hours.
Did you know: Raghunath Temple is one of the 108 Divyadesam dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Lord Rama had done penance at this place to repent for the killing of a Ravana.

Raghunath Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Rama. This temple is located on Devprayag, Tehri district of Uttarakhand, India. This temple is situated at the confluence of the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers. After this confluence of these two rivers, the Ganges river is formed. It is located 74.2 km from Rishikesh on the Badrinath highway.

Raghunath Temple is one of the 108 Divyadesam dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Lord Rama (who was the incarnation of Vishnu) and Mother Sita (who was the incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi) are worshiped in the Raghunath temple. It is believed that during the 8th century the temple was established by Adi Shankaracharya with the later expansion of the Garhwal Empire. The temple originally existed from the 10th century.

It is believed that Lord Rama had killed Ravana. Ravana was a Brahman. Therefore, Lord Rama had done penance at this place to repent for the killing of a Brahman.

It is believed that Lord Brahma, who created the creation, has done penance at this place and this place was known as Prayaga, which means the best place to do penance. According to this legend, this place has a Watak tree (Banyan tree) which will face all worldly disasters and will always be in this place. It is believed that Vishnu lives in the leaves of the tree. Prior to the Mahabharata war, Pandavas performed penance at this place. It is believed that Saga Bharadwaja has also done penance at this place and seven saints have become sages, Saptarishis.

It is also believed that in 1835, Maharaja Gulab Singh, founder of the Jammu and Kashmir Empire, started the construction work of the present structure of the temple. However, Maharaja Ranabir Singh, son of Maharaja Gulab Singh, completed this construction work in 1860. The gold layer is placed on the inner 3 walls of the temple, which depicts the picture of the life of Hindu Lord Rama and Krishna.

Raghunath Temple was damaged during an earthquake during 1893 and was later made by the local king. In modern times, the temple is maintained and administered by Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board of Uttarakhand Government.